Sastre leads CSC-Saxo Bank

Carlos Sastre will lead CSC-Saxo Bank as the Tour de France champion tries to double in the Vuelta a España.

The Spanish media will be playing up the duel against 2007 Tour winner Alberto Contador, but Sastre says he wants nothing more than to enjoy what should be an exciting and wide-open race.

“The Vuelta has always been in my calendar and always on my mind. I am going with the idea of doing something important,” Sastre said. “I want to enjoy this race. I am at the final years of my career, I don’t know if I will race one or two more years and I want to enjoy this to the maximum, but without obsessing about anything. I am going with my homework completed and I only want to arrive and think about the race. It will be a beautiful Vuelta.”

Runner-up last year, Sastre will don the No. 1 plate with the absence of winner Denis Menchov (Rabobank).

CSC-Bank sport director Scott Sunderland said the team brings a balanced squad that will lend plenty of help for Sastre in the decisive moments of the race as well as provide some spark in the bid for stage victories.

“With riders like Cuesta, Van Goolen and Gustov, Carlos will get some solid support in the mountains, where the race might well be decided. We have great experience in the shape of Michael Blaudzun, who will be doing his last big stage race of his career and is no doubt highly motivated,” Sunderland said. “In Matti Breschel and Juan José Haedo we have two great closers, who're able to do really well in the finales and maybe take some of the pressure off for the others with a victory early on in the race.”

Volodymir Gustov and Sastre are the only riders returning from the Tour de France squad, the rest of the team will be loaded with fresh legs and top motivation.

“Karsten Kroon and Kolobnev are experts in neutralizing attacks and especially Karsten will play a central role in protecting Carlos in the peloton if necessary,” Sunderland said. “All in all it looks like we have an exciting Vuelta ahead of us and we look forward to seeing our guys in action.”

Team CSC-Saxo Bank for Vuelta a España
● Carlos Sastre (Sp)
● Jurgen van Goolen (Bel)
● Michael Blaudzun (Den)
● Karsten Kroon (Ned)
● Matti Breschel (Den)
● Iñigo Cuesta (Sp)
● Juan José Haedo (Arg)
● Alexandr Kolobnev (Rus)
● Volodymir Gustov (Ukr)

Valverde eyes podium

Alejandro Valverde leads an all-Spanish Caisse d’Epargne squad as he makes a bid for a strong showing in the Vuelta.

With Carlos Sastre and Alberto Contador gunning for overall victory, Valverde might have some other fish to fry in the three-week Spanish tour that opens Saturday in Granada.

Following a decent Tour de France and a somewhat disappointing Olympic Games, it will be interesting to see if Valverde will still have anything left to ride at full strength in the Vuelta.

Valverde might be tempted to save something for the world championships in Italy a week following the Vuelta’s conclusion. A three-time world’s medalist, Valverde might prefer a world title to finishing on the Vuelta podium.

The team brings a balanced team loaded with experienced riders who know what it takes to make an impact on the Vuelta.

Spanish veteran and eternal stage-hunter Vicente García Acosta will be back for another run at the Vuelta, along with attackers Joaquím Rodríguez and David Arroyo to give the team several options for stage victories.

Caisse d’Epargne for Vuelta
● David Arroyo (Sp)
● Imanol Erviti (Sp)
● Vicente García Acosta (Sp)
● Alberto Losada (Sp)
● Dani Moreno (Sp)
● Luis Pasamontes (Sp)
● Joaquím Rodríguez (Sp)
● Alejandro Valverde (Sp)
● Xabier Zandio (Sp)

Boonen, Bettini headline Quick Step

The looming world championships are attracting the king bees of the Quick Step team to the Vuelta a España.

Boonen used the Vuelta as a run-up to his 2005 world crown while Bettini has honed his form in the past two editions of the Vuelta ahead of his back-to-back world titles in 2006 and 2007.

Boonen will be back in the spotlight following his positive test for cocaine. He’s already raced since the bad news headlines earlier this summer, but the Vuelta will be his first major high-profile event since the controversy.

Bettini, meanwhile, will be hoping to win a stage ahead of another worlds run.

Joining the two world champions will be Carlos Barredo, who will be looking to attack as well as post a strong GC result. Spanish climber Juan Manuel Garate will also be on the hunt for a stage victory.

Quick Step for Vuelta
● Carlos Barredo (Sp)
● Paolo Bettini (Ita)
● Tom Boonen (Bel)
● Juan Manuel Garate (Sp)
● Andrea Tonti (Ita)
● Matteo Tosatto (Ita)
● Kevin Van Impe (Bel)
● Davide Viganò (Ita)
● Wouter Weylandt (Bel)